Knowledge Base > Troubleshooting Guides > Virtual Camera Troubleshooting

Virtual Camera Troubleshooting

Table of Contents

Install or remove the virtual camera

If the Start Virtual Camera button isn't showing in the Controls dock, follow these instructions to install the virtual camera. You can also remove the virtual camera if it conflicts with other software.

Platform Install Remove

Windows
  1. in File Explorer, go to C:\Program Files\obs-studio\data\obs-plugins\win-dshow
  2. right-click virtualcam-install.bat and select Run as Administrator

Follow the instructions at the left, but use virtualcam-uninstall.bat (note the un) instead.

If you have installed OBS Studio to a different folder or you are using portable mode:

  1. right-click your OBS Studio shortcut and select Open File Location
  2. in File Explorer, right-click virtualcam-install.bat and select Run as Administrator

macOS (macOS 13.0+)

  1. When opening OBS for the first time, you will get a promt "System Extension Blocked". Click "Open System Settings". Alternatively, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Security.

  2. In the box "System software from application 'OBS' was blocked from loading", click "Allow".

  3. Authenticate to allow the system extension.

  4. Restart OBS.

Uninstall OBS Studio to uninstall the virtual camera.

macOS (macOS 11 / 12)

The virtual camera will be installed when you first click on Start Virtual Camera.

Delete /Library/CoreMediaIO/Plug-Ins/DAL/obs-mac-virtualcam.plugin.

Linux

On Linux, the virtual camera is powered by v4l2loopback. Install the v4l2loopback-dkms package.

macOS compatibility

OBS Studio 30.0 and higher running on macOS 13 ("Ventura") and higher include a new virtual camera component that is compatible with all Mac applications.

The virtual camera component in OBS 29.1 and earlier is not compatible with macOS 14 ("Sonoma") at all. If you require the virtual camera to work, update to OBS 30.0 (or newer) or stay on macOS 13 ("Ventura").

The version of the virtual camera component used for macOS 12 and prior may be incompatible with some applications. We recommend using the virtual camera with Chromium-based browsers (such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge) for best compatibility, especially for online services such as Discord.

Table of Contents

Related Articles

Virtual Camera Guide

Similar Articles

macOS Screen Capture Source
OBS Studio 28 Plugin Compatibility
Plugins Guide